THE OPENING TIP
Michigan State hosts Nebraska Sunday in the only meeting of the season between the Spartans and the Cornhuskers. Nebraska enters the contest on a two game winning streak, and winners in four of its last five. MSU is looking to win a second straight game for the first time since Jan. 18 and 21.

THE STARTING FIVE1. Payne Returns With A Bang
After missing seven games with a right foot sprain, Adreian Payne has been a force in his return, averaging 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in three games. He's started the last two contests, averaging 22.0 points and 9.0 rebounds with 24 points against Wisconsin and 20 against Northwestern, adding 14 rebounds against the Wildcats. In three games, he's shooting .556 from the field, .500 from 3-point range and .750 from the foul line, averaging 27.7 minutes.

2. Valentine's VersatilityDenzel Valentine is one of just two Spartans to appear in all 25 games, and the only one to appear in every contest averaging more than 10 minutes (28.8 mpg - third on the team). He is the only player in the Big Ten to rank among the top 10 in both rebounding (8th, 6.2 rpg) and assists (7th, 3.9 apg). In conference games, he ranks second in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7) and tied for third in rebounding (7.0 rpg). He's even elevated his play as of late, scoring in double figures in six of the last eight games, averaging 10.1 points and 7.5 rebounds. He's led MSU in assists in 10 games and in rebounding nine times.

3. Trice Runs The Point
With Keith Appling having missed the last three games with a right wrist injury, Travis Trice has filled in admirably at the point. In three games, he's averaging 9.7 points, 5.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds, while not committing a single turnover in 102 minutes. The seven assists he totaled against Penn State were a personal high against a Big Ten opponent, while his 13 points at Wisconsin were the most he had ever scored against a Big Ten team.

4. Taking Care Of The Ball
Michigan State is on pace to shatter the mark for fewest turnovers during the Tom Izzo era. MSU is currently averaging 11.1 turnovers, including just 10.5 in conference. The previous low during the Izzo era was 13.0 in 2011-12. The Spartans are 13-3 when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent. MSU ranks second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+2.2), out-scoring opponents by +3.3 points per game (15.8-12.5) in points off turnovers.

5. Breslin Advantage
Michigan State is 338-48 (.876) at home all-time since Breslin Center opened in 1989, including 176-36 (.830) in Big Ten play. Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans are 264-33 (.889) at Breslin, including a 135-23 (.854) conference record. MSU has won 45 of the last 49 (.918) games at Breslin.

MSU VS. NEBRASKA NOTESSeries History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 12-6, including a 6-1 advantage in games played East Lansing. The two teams met six times between 1988 and 1994, but did not meet again until the 2011-12 season. MSU has won all four meetings as Big Ten foes.

Coach Miles
Tim Miles (University of Mary, '89) is 311-248 in his 19th season as a collegiate head coach, including 28-28 in his second season at Nebraska. Prior to his arrival in East Lansing, Miles spent two seasons at Mayville State, four seasons at SW Minnesota State, six seasons at North Dakota State, and most recently, five seasons at Colorado State. In 2011-12, he led the Rams to a 20-12 record, CSU's first 20-win season since 1997-98. He is believed to be the only active coach who has made national tournament appearances at four-year schools at the Division I, Division II and NAIA levels.

The Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Nebraska, 73-64, on Feb. 16, 2013, in Lincoln. The Spartans got off to a strong start and held a 23-12 lead with 9:12 left in the first half, following Gary Harris' steal and breakaway dunk. Harris then picked up his second foul forcing him to bench. Nebraska took advantage of 10 first-half Spartan turnovers and trailed by just five points at the half, 29-24. In the second half, Nebraska's Shavon Shields scored 12 of the Huskers' first 16 points, cutting the Spartan lead to a single point at 41-40. From that point, MSU went on a 20-6 run over the next 10:22. The Spartans sealed victory by hitting 8-of-10 free throws in the final 1:14. Keith Appling led MSU with 16 points, while Adreian Payne posted a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Dylan Talley led NU with 28 points and Shields added 19 points and 13 rebounds. MSU held a 42-24 edge on the glass and blocked 12 shots.

The Last Meeting In East Lansing
Michigan State defeated Nebraska, 66-56, on Jan. 13, 2013, in East Lansing. The first half was tightly contested with neither team leading by more than five points in the stanza. The second half was much of the same as the Spartans took a five-point lead on a couple of occasions, but couldn't find more separation. With 2:36 remaining, Nebraska cut MSU's lead to 55-54. The Spartans then turned the ball over but the Huskers couldn't convert. On MSU's next possession, Gary Harris broke out of a 0-of-10 slump with a 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 58-54 lead with 1:49 left. MSU then forced two straight turnovers on the defensive end and hit all six free throws in the last 1:03 to pull away. Derrick Nix led MSU with 17 points, while David Rivers led NU with 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range.

Husker Notes
Sophomore Terran Petteway ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring in conference games (17.6 ppg) ... Nebraska's offense (67.1 ppg) is averaging 8.3 points more than last season, and is on pace to be the highest-scoring Husker offense since 2004-05 ... After averaging 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in the first four Big Ten games, sophomore Shavon Shields is averaging 14.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in the last seven Big Ten games.

GM. 25 RECAP  MICHIGAN STATE 85 - NORTHWESTERN 70
The game was tight early, as the teams went into the second media timeout of the contest tied at 19. Leading 23-22 with 9:15 left, MSU made its first big push, using an 8-0 run to take a 31-22 lead, eventually taking a 39-30 advantage into the half. The Spartans then opened the second half on a 7-0 run to push their lead out to 16 points at 46-30, and the Wildcats never got closer than 11 points after that. By the 11:52 mark, MSU held a 19-point lead, hitting its first nine shots of the half. Northwestern made one final mini-push, pulling within 11 points with 7:01 left. The Spartans thwarted any chance of a comeback with 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions from Denzel Valentine and Gary Harris.

MSU VS. NORTHWESTERN NOTES
* With a team-high 20 points, Adreian Payne recorded the first back-to-back 20-point efforts of his career.
* One day before Valentine's Day, Denzel Valentine scored a career-high 16 points while making a career-best three 3-pointers.
* MSU recorded at least 10 Big Ten wins for the sixth time in the last seven years.
* Travis Trice did not commit a turnover in his third consecutive start.
* Adreian Payne's 14 rebounds were the most by any Spartan this season.
* Adreian Payne recorded his fifth double-double of the season, and the 15th of his career, but the first since Dec. 14 vs. Oakland.
* MSU shot 53.3 percent from the field, including 52.4 percent from 3-point range, both of which were the team's second-best effort in Big Ten play this season.
* The two teams combined for 155 points, after totaling just 94 in the first meeting of the season.
* MSU totaled 13 offensive rebounds, good for an offensive rebound percentage of .419, resulting in an 18-6 edge in second-chance points.
* MSU hit all nine field-goal attempts in the first 8:08 of the second half.

MSU BASKETBALL NOTESThe Complete PackageGary Harris gets a lot of notoriety for his scoring, as he ranks third in the Big Ten (17.4 ppg). But what makes him special is his ability to be a difference maker on both ends of the court, leading the Spartans with 44 steals, ranking fourth in the conference (2.0 spg). In Big Ten action, he ranks fourth in scoring (16.8 ppg) and tied for first in steals (2.6 spg). Since returning to the starting lineup on Dec. 28, he has totaled 37 steals (2.6 spg) in 14 games.

Spartan Defense
Michigan State has held opponents below 40 percent shooting for the year in each of the last two seasons, limiting opponents to .390 FG% last year (ranking 22nd in the nation) and .379 FG% in 2011-12 (ranking second in the nation). It's the first time the Spartans have held opponents below 40 percent in back-to-back seasons since MSU did it three straight seasons from 1999-2000 to 2001-02. MSU's first 25 opponents are shooting .389 from the floor, ranking second in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation (NCAA stats through Feb. 13), including .320 from 3-point range, ranking sixth in the conference. In conference games, MSU ranks first in field-goal percentage defense (.399), blocks (5.6 bpg), and steals (7.6 spg), and second in scoring defense (64.7 ppg).

Spartan Spurtability
Michigan State's dynamic offense has shown the ability to score points in bunches. In 13 of 25 games, the Spartans have posted at least a 10-0 run. Some of MSU's best spurts include 21-0 vs. New Orleans, 18-0 vs. McNeese State, and 15-0 against Minnesota. MSU has had an 8-0 run in 17 games.

Rotating Starting Lineup
Michigan State has used 13 different starting lineups in the last 20 games, and a total of 14 on the season. A large part of the rotating door has been the various injuries/illnesses to strike the Spartans. In fact, MSU's five primary starters (Keith Appling, Gary Harris, Branden Dawson, Adreian Payne, and Matt Costello) have all played in just 10 of 24 games. It began with Gary Harris missing three games (Mount St. Mary's, Oakland, North Florida) in a four-game stretch with an ankle injury and also coming off the bench at Texas. Matt Costello started six of the first eight games of the season, but then missed four straight with mononucleosis before returning for conference play. Branden Dawson sat out the New Orleans game with a shin bruise and Travis Trice missed the North Florida game with foot blisters and the Ohio State game due to illness. In addition, Adreian Payne (plantar fasciitis) and Keith Appling (hip pointer) missed significant amounts of practice in early/mid December. The Spartans have been hit especially hard recently as Payne is currently dealing with a right foot sprain which forced him to miss seven contests before returning vs. Penn State. Dawson suffered a broken bone in his right hand on Jan. 23 and is out of action 4-5 weeks, and Appling has a sore right wrist, first suffered against North Carolina, which forced him to miss the last three games.

20-Win Seasons
With its 82-67 win over Penn State, MSU recorded its 14th 20-win season in the last 17 years, all under head coach Tom Izzo. Of the 22 20-win seasons in Spartan history, Izzo has been involved in 19 of them, 14 as a head coach and five as an assistant.

Spartans In Overtime
Michigan State is 3-0 in overtime this season, including 2-0 at home. In fact, MSU has won its last seven overtime games, with its last loss coming to Minnesota in the 2010 Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans last had three overtime games in Big Ten play during the 2011 campaign.

Lending A Helping Hand
Michigan State is averaging 17.4 assists on the season, pacing the Big Ten and ranking sixth in the nation. With 434 assists on 701 made field goals, the Spartans are recording an assist on 61.9 percent of their baskets. MSU ranks first in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) (NCAA stats through Feb. 13). Keith Appling is second in the conference in assists (4.9 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5). Four Spartans average two or more assists as Denzel Valentine (3.9 apg), Gary Harris (2.7 apg), and Travis Trice (2.4 apg) join Appling.

Payne's Senior Season
After opting to bypass the NBA Draft and return to Michigan State, Adreian Payne is determined to make the most of his senior season. A preseason first-team All-American as selected by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, Payne ranks second on the team in scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg). He's posted a double-double in five games this season and 11 of his last 29 dating back to last season. Against Texas, he scored a career-high 33 points. He ranked in the Top 10 in the conference in both scoring and rebounding before falling out of the rankings due to not playing in enough games. He's captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors twice this season (Nov. 18 and Dec. 23). He returned to action against Penn State (Feb. 6), scoring 12 points in 18 minutes, after missing the previous seven games while resting a sprained foot. Prior to the Penn State game, his last action came against Ohio State on Jan. 7, nearly one month earlier. Since his return, he's posted the first back-to-back 20-point games of his career with 24 points vs. Wisconsin and 20 vs. Northwestern.

Next Man Up
There's no secret that the Spartans have been forced to deal with several injuries this season, but they understand that their opponents won't ease up, nor are they looking for any sympathy. Just as the Spartan football team employed the "Next Man Up" motto, with reserve linebacker Kyler Elsworth making the game-clinching fourth-down stop in the Rose Bowl, so too has the Spartan basketball team. For instance, in the seven games that Adreian Payne missed, Matt Costello averaged 7.0 points and 5.4 rebounds, compared to 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds before that. Denzel Valentine also elevated his production, averaging 8.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in Payne's absence. Over the last 10 games, Costello is averaging 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds and Valentine is averaging 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. When Branden Dawson went down Jan. 23, more opportunities opened in the Spartan lineup. First, Alvin Ellis III doubled his career high with 12 points against Michigan. Against Iowa on Jan. 28, Russell Byrd stepped up and hit a game-clinching 3-pointer in overtime after not playing in five of the first six Big Ten games, and not hitting a 3-pointer since Dec. 17.

Different Ways To Win
With its 54-40 win at Northwestern, Michigan State proved it could win a low-scoring contest with its defense. But MSU has also shown it can win with a potent offense. In fact, MSU has now won games when scoring in the 50's (1), 60's (2), 70's (8), 80's (5), 90's (4), and 100's (1). Wisconsin and Michigan State are the only teams to accomplish this feat in the Big Ten, and two of just seven schools to do it nationally, joining Connecticut, Florida State, Marquette, Norfolk State and Tennessee Tech.

Comeback Kids
Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+13.0), but that doesn't mean it isn't capable of a comeback. The Spartans have overcome deficits of 10 or more points three times, and deficits of seven or more points six times. MSU is 7-1 when trailing at the half.

Appling Paces The Big TenKeith Appling has elevated his all-around play as a senior and is proving to be among the most dominating performers in the Big Ten, and, in fact, the country. Appling leads the conference with four games in which he's tallied at least 20 points and seven assists. The rest of the conference has just four occasions, and Appling ranks tied for fifth in the country. The Spartan senior also paces the Big Ten with three games of at least 20 points, 7 assists and five rebounds, ranking tied for second in the nation, trailing only Delaware's Jarvis Threatt (4). (National totals through games of Jan. 29.)

Kaminski For Three
Redshirt freshman Kenny Kaminski is quickly establishing himself as one of the top shooters in the conference. On the season, he is shooting .481 (26-54) from 3-point range. He's been equally prolific in conference play, connecting on 19-of-40 attempts (.475) from behind the arc, ranking third in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage. In two games (vs. Minnesota and Penn State) Kaminski hit five 3-pointers, connecting on his first five attempts in both contests.

Costello With The Rejection
Since returning from missing four games with mono, Matt Costello is proving his worth in the Spartan lineup, especially on the defensive end. In 12 conference games, he has totaled 20 blocks (1.7 bpg), ranking tied for sixth in the Big Ten. Overall, he ranks eighth in the conference at 1.6 bpg (33 blocks). As his conditioning improves, however, he's also showing some offense, averaging 7.3 points in the last 10 games, including scoring 11 vs. Iowa, 10 vs. Penn State, nine vs. Michigan and Northwestern and eight at Illinois.

Izzo Moves Up Big Ten Coaching List
With MSU's 78-62 win at Illinois, Tom Izzo passed Illinois' Lou Henson for sole possesion of fourth place on the Big Ten career victories list with 215 wins. Izzo currently stands at 219 career Big Ten wins. In MSU's 73-56 win at Indiana, Izzo moved past IU's Branch McCracken for fifth place on the career Big Ten victories list with 211. Indiana's Bob Knight is the all-time leader with 353 Big Ten wins. Ward Lambert ranks third with 228 wins, while Gene Keady is second at 265.

Spartans Hit The Mark
Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage at .471. The Spartans have shot 50 percent or better in nine games, including a season-high .631 against Mount St. Mary's. Against North Florida, MSU shot 70.8 percent in the first half. MSU has shot better than its opponent in all but three games this season.

Renewed Defensive Commitment
Following Michigan State's loss to North Carolina, Coach Izzo took the blame on himself, feeling he overreacted to some of the new rules designed to limit physical play and increase scoring, and vowed to correct that. In the 16 games since the loss, MSU is holding its opponents to 63.4 points and a .387 field-goal percentage, including .320 from 3-point range. In a related stat regarding MSU's return to basics, the Spartans own a +5.5 rebounding margin over the last 17 games. During this stretch, MSU has played nine games away from home, including at Texas, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and owns a home win over No. 3 Ohio State.

Three 15-Point Scorers
With Gary Harris (17.4 ppg), Adreian Payne (16.6 ppg) and Keith Appling (15.0 ppg), Michigan State is one of just six schools in the nation with three 15-point scorers. Other schools include Iowa State, VMI, Delaware, Temple, and Cal.-State Northridge.

Big Ten Success
Michigan State has captured at least a share of the Big Ten Championship in three of the last five seasons. After winning the title outright in 2009, the Spartans shared the conference crown in 2010 and 2012. In 2012, MSU also added a Big Ten Tournament title to its resume. During Tom Izzo's tenure, the Spartans have won seven regular-season titles and three tournament crowns.

Big Ten Success, Part II
Michigan State has won 13 Big Ten Championships, including three of the last five, since joining the league prior to the 1950-51 season. The Spartans' first ever league game was at Northwestern, where MSU claimed a 67-62 victory on Jan. 6, 1951. All-time, MSU is 577-457 (.558) in league play, including 219-97 (.693) under Tom Izzo, who ranks fourth in league history with 219 conference wins. Izzo has guided MSU to seven of its 13 league crowns. Since Izzo's first season (1995-96), MSU has a Big Ten-best record of 219-97, 20 games better than second-place Wisconsin (199-117).

Payne From Deep
Through the first 87 games of his career, Adreian Payne shot just 1-of-4 from 3-point range. Over the last 38 games, he is 38-of-90 (.422), averaging one made 3-pointer per contest. On 11 occasions, including eight times this season, he's made more than one in a game.

Guard Rebounds
For the Spartans to maintain their reputation as a strong rebounding team, they will need a strong effort from their guards. In fact, three of MSU's four leading rebounders play on the perimeter. Branden Dawson is averaging a team-best 8.7 rebounds, ranking second in the Big Ten, from the wing. Denzel Valentine (6.2 rpg) ranks third on the team, and Gary Harris (4.4 rpg) ranks fourth. Either Dawson or Valentine has led the Spartans in rebounding in 19 of 25 games.

Outside Shooting
Michigan State is shooting .387 from 3-point range (200-of-517), ranking second in the Big Ten. Five Spartans (Gary Harris-51, Travis Trice-34, Keith Appling-32, Kenny Kaminski-26, Adreian Payne-22) each average more than one made 3-pointer per game. Individually, Trice ranks second in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage (.436), while Appling ranks seventh (.405). Payne (.449) would rank first if he had played in enough games. The Spartans have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 10 games, after doing it just once last season, ranking second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals per game (8.0). In conference games, MSU is shooting .401, ranking second, while ranking first with 8.1 makes per contest. Last season, the Spartans shot .338 from 3-point range, hitting 177-of-523. The 2003-04 squad was the best shooting team of the Tom Izzo era, shooting .401, while the 1989-90 squad shot a school-record .431.

On The Run
Michigan State is eager to get out in transition this season, even more so than normal. Speaking at MSU's annual media day, Izzo told the assembled media "I think we should be a team that can run, run, run and run." Through 25 games, MSU is averaging 78.0 points per game, ranking second in the Big Ten, including 15.3 points in transition. This includes a dominating 21-2 edge in fast break points against Kentucky.

Spartans At The Charity Stripe
Michigan State is shooting .690 from the foul line this season. The three Spartans that attempt the most free throws (Appling-119 attempts, .706; Harris-100 attempts, .780; Payne-77 attempts, .792) are each shooting 70 percent or better. In fact, the three are shooting a combined .753 (223-296) from the free throw line.

Appling Runs The Team
Senior Keith Appling is in his third season as Michigan State's starting point guard, gaining more confidence each season. He's finished in the Top 10 in the Big Ten in assists in each of the last two seasons, but he spoke this offseason about becoming better at running his team, gaining praise from Coach Izzo for his development. He's averaging a career-best 4.9 assists per game and owns a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. In a win over No. 1 Kentucky, Appling dished out eight assists, in addition to his 22 points and eight rebounds. Coach Izzo described Appling's 25-point, seven-assist effort vs. Portland "one of the greatest point guard performances in many, many, many years when you look at what he shot and the decisions he made. He did just an unbelievable job defensively ... He was worth the price of admission." He paced MSU with a career-high 27 points vs. Oklahoma, earning Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic MVP honors. He scored a team-high 21 points vs. Oakland, including 18 points in the second half. He matched his career high with 27 points against New Orleans, adding eight assists, earning co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Dec. 30. In an overtime win against No. 3 Ohio State, Appling led the Spartans in scoring (20 points) and assists (7) and tied for the team lead in rebounds (6). He followed with a game-high 24 points vs. Minnesota, including eight points (8-8 FT) in overtime. Against Michigan, he recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 assists. He's led MSU in scoring in nine games and in assists 16 times. The Spartans are a perfect 9-0 when Appling leads the team in scoring.

Valentine And Trice Are Key ContributorsTravis Trice and Denzel Valentine were not in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season when MSU had its full complement of players, but in the eyes of Coach Izzo, they might as well have been. Izzo has regularly referred to the duo as "super subs." Valentine ranks fifth on the team in scoring (8.0 ppg) and third in minutes (28.8 mpg), while Trice ranks sixth in scoring (7.0 ppg) and minutes (21.8 mpg). Valentine (3.9 apg) is second in assist average, while Trice (2.4 apg) is fourth. Due to different injuries and ailments, Valentine ranks third on the team with 20 starts, including 17 straight, while Trice has started six games.

MSU's Super Sophomore
Following a season that saw him earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, Gary Harris is looking for an even better season as a sophomore. After opting to return to Michigan State for his sophomore season rather than enter the NBA Draft, Harris entered 2013-14 as the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year honoree and a popular pick for preseason All-America accolades. He opened the season by recording his first career double-double with 20 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and dishing out a career-high six assists. He followed that effort with another 20-point contest against No. 1 Kentucky. He leads the team and ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per contest, scoring 20 or more points in a team-best eight games. During the non-conference, he missed three games (Mount St. Mary's, Oakland and North Florida) while resting an injured ankle.

Playing The Best
Since the 1997-98 season, the year of MSU's first of 16 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans have played 180 games against ranked opponents. That total ranks first among teams that have appeared in a Final Four since then. The Spartans are followed by North Carolina (163), Duke (156), Kentucky (155), and Connecticut (146).

Payne's Block Party
Senior Adreian Payne ranks second in Michigan State history with 130 career blocks, just four behind MSU career leader Drew Naymick (134 blocks). Payne blocked a career-best five shots in the third round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament against Memphis, en route to 46 on the season, good for the sixth-best single-season effort in school history.

Dawson's Energy On Display Branden Dawson didn't miss a game last season despite tearing his ACL at the end of his freshman year, and yet he wasn't functioning at 100 percent. He has been a much more active player this season, exhibiting the rare combination of strength and athleticism that rank him among the Big Ten's elite. He is currently averaging a team-best 8.7 rebounds, leading the team in 12 of 18 games in which he's played, and 10.2 points. His tip-in with five seconds remaining sealed the win over No. 1 Kentucky. Dawson is tied for the team lead with five double-doubles. Dawson is out 4-5 weeks after breaking a bone in his right hand on Jan. 23. He ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounding and field-goal percentage (.604) before dropping out of the rankings due to missing too many games due to injury.

Nation's Best Backcourt
With Keith Appling, Gary Harris and Branden Dawson often in the starting lineup and Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine coming off the bench, Michigan State stakes a strong claim for having the nation's best backcourt. All five rank among MSU's top six in scoring, while Appling, Harris, Dawson and Trice have each scored 20 or more points at least once during their career. Not only are they dynamic offensively, they also can provide lockdown defense. With Appling and Harris, MSU features the only team in the nation with two backcourt players on the 23-man midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and the 30-man Naismith Trophy List.

It's All About Boardwork
Michigan State has led the nation in rebounding in four of the last 14 seasons (2000, 2001, 2009, 2010), ranking in the Top 10 nine times and the Top 25 on 12 occasions. MSU has led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in conference games in 11 of the last 16 years. In the Tom Izzo era, MSU has out-rebounded 493 of 642 opponents (.768), posting a 392-101 (.795) mark in those games. Last season, the Spartans out-rebounded 32 of 36 opponents. This season, MSU owns a +4.8 rebounding margin, ranking third in the Big Ten, and has out-rebounded 16 of 25 opponents, posting a 15-1 mark when grabbing more rebounds.

Returning Productivity
MSU returns six of its top seven scorers from last season, in featuring one of the nation's most experienced rosters to start the season. The Spartans return 84.2 percent of their scoring, 79.3 percent of their rebounding and 84.0 percent of their assists. Five returning Spartans started 15 or more games last season, including four with 24 or more starts. Six returners played 500 or more minutes last season. By comparison, entering last year, just five Spartans had played more than 350 minutes in their career.

Robertson Trophy Watch List
Senior guard Keith Appling and sophomore guard Gary Harris are two of 23 players named to the 2013-14 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. The list was selected by the board of directors of the United States Basketball Writers Association. Michigan State is one of six schools with two players on the list of 15. The award will be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14, 2014 in Oklahoma City.

MSU In The Rankings
The Spartans are currently ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. Seven Spartan opponents are also ranked in at least one of the polls, including Kentucky (14 AP/13 USA Today), Michigan (15/18), Iowa (16/15), Texas (19/19), Wisconsin (21/21), Ohio State (22/20), and Oklahoma (-/25).

Wooden And Naismith Award Watch ListsKeith Appling and Adreian Payne have each earned a spot on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list. The Spartans are one of four schools to have two players on the list. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official voting ballot, which will consist of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Players not on the midseason list are still eligible to appear on the ballot. The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. Gary Harris and Appling have also been named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 List.

Cousy Award Watch List
Senior Keith Appling is one of 47 players on the watch list of candidates for the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men's college basketball. This watch list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 in early February, then final five by early March. The Cousy Award winner will be
presented the award on Championship Monday in Dallas at the Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 Announcement and Press Conference.

1,000-Point Scorers
With 24 points against Wisconsin, Adreian Payne become the 44th player in Michigan State history to reach 1,000 points for his career. Last season, Keith Appling became the 43rd player in MSU history to record 1,000 career points, and just the 29th player to reach the milestone in three seasons. With 1,448 career points, Appling ranks 20th in MSU career scoring, 20 points behind Charlie Bell (1,468 points). With 1,022 points for his career, Payne is six points behind Kevin Smith (1,028 points) for 43rd in MSU history, and 32 behind Marcus Sanders (1,054 points).

MSU At No. 1
Earlier this season, Michigan State held the No. 1 spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls for three straight weeks for the first time in school history. Although the Spartans have been ranked in the Top 10 in 15 of Tom Izzo's 19 seasons, and the Top 5 in 11 seasons, this was just the second season under Coach Izzo, and just the third time in school history that MSU has held the top spot in the AP Top 25, having previously been ranked No. 1 for two weeks in both 1978-79 and 2000-01. The Spartans have an all-time record of 9-4 at No. 1.

Big Ten Strength
Once again, the Big Ten will make a strong claim as the toughest conference in college basketball, an honor bestowed on it by ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman on Nov. 5. Five conference teams are currently ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll, including No. 10 Michigan State, No. 15 Iowa, No. 18 Michigan, No. 20 Ohio State and No. 21 Wisconsin. Last season, seven of the 12 league teams participated in the NCAA Tournament, with a total of nine in postseason play.

Spartan Freshmen
Michigan State could feature as many as three freshmen in its playing group, including red-shirt freshman Kenny Kaminski, and true freshmen Alvin Ellis III and Gavin Schilling. Kaminski redshirted last season following a shoulder injury he suffered last fall. He provides a big man with excellent shooting ability for the Spartans. Ellis III and Schilling were actually prep teammates as juniors at Chicago De La Salle High School before Schilling transferred to Findlay Prep in Nevada for his senior season. Ellis III provides a solid all-around presence on the perimeter, while Schilling provides great strength and quickness in the post. Both Ellis III and Schilling were added during the spring signing period in 2013.

THE BOOK ON TOM IZZOCoach Izzo
In his 19th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 460-182 (.717), and 219-97 (.693) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. He ranks as the winningest coach in Michigan State history, having passed his mentor Jud Heathcote with his 341st career victory on Nov. 28, 2009. In his 18 seasons as a head coach, Izzo has captured eight National Coach of the Year awards, including the Clair Bee Award in 2005 and NABC honors in 2001 and 2012. In 1999, Izzo was named National Coach of the year by Basketball Times, while earning similar honors from The Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in '98. He also earned National Coach of the Year accolades from CBSSports.com in 2012. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1998, 2009 and 2012.

Among The Big Ten's BestTom Izzo's .693 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks third all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700), and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan (.699), and ahead of former Purdue coach Ward Lambert (.685). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Ryan (.725), Izzo (.717), Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), and Lambert (.709). With 219 conference victories, Izzo ranks fourth all-time.

Izzo Among Best Ever
Through his first 18 seasons, Tom Izzo won 439 games, ranking fourth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 18 years.

Izzo's Coaching Tree
Five current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Indiana), Brian Gregory (Georgia Tech), Stan Heath (South Florida), Mark Montgomery (Northern Illinois) and Doug Wojcik (College of Charleston). Mike Garland served as head coach at Cleveland State for three seasons and Stan Joplin, an assistant during Izzo's first season, spent 12 seasons as head coach at Toledo. Jim Boylen was head coach at Utah for four years.